Meghan Markle has returned to the podcasting scene, not with a bang but more like a clumsy dive into shallow waters, bringing with her a mix of ego and borrowed stories.
Instead of letting her guest—Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, a self-made billionaire and tech pioneer—tell her own tale, Meghan seemingly made the episode all about herself. In Meghan’s world, interviewing seems to mean interrupting frequently with personal anecdotes and self-reflection, all while pretending to listen. Reports suggest that Wolfe Herd, likely expecting a thoughtful conversation about startups, innovation, and the challenges of being a female entrepreneur, was met with confusion as Meghan steered the discussion back to her own experiences. The reception was not kind. The Times offered a dismal one-star review, critiquing the episode as filled with shallow wisdom typical of someone who married into royalty and now poses as a life coach.
One reviewer even joked that listening made him want to hit his head against a wall—a sentiment that many found relatable. The Irish Times derided the podcast as a self-congratulatory session between two wealthy women eager to be praised simply for practicing self-love.
Australian journalist Natalie Oliveri noted the only apparent requirement to appear on Meghan’s podcast was being her friend—and being willing to feed her ego. Then came the moment that really raised eyebrows: Meghan claimed to have suffered from postpartum preeclampsia, the exact rare condition Wolfe Herd discussed on the show. It seemed suspiciously convenient, especially since Meghan had never mentioned this serious health scare before—not in the Oprah interview, not in The Cut, not in the Netflix docuseries, and not even in Prince Harry’s lengthy memoir Spare. Now, with a business mogul sitting across from her, the story suddenly surfaced. If Meghan had truly endured a life-threatening postpartum experience, many believe she would have already paraded it across magazine covers, podcasts, and possibly even written a book titled From Palace to Preeclampsia. Meghan isn’t known for quiet suffering—she’s known for headline moments.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect was how little Wolfe Herd was able to speak about her own billion-dollar business journey. Whenever she attempted to share insights, Meghan would jump in with stories about her own stress, even one about “packaging” it. If there’s one thing Meghan seems adept at, it’s branding the mundane as meaningful. One critic commented that the podcast might as well have been recorded behind a set of luxurious closed doors, mocking Meghan’s insistence that she’s delivering sacred truths about womanhood. Instead, listeners got 45 minutes of what felt like recycled Pinterest affirmations.
In the end, the episode didn’t reveal much beyond the fact that Meghan Markle still believes simply being herself is a full-time occupation worthy of applause and airtime. And if overshadowing a successful CEO’s hardships is the price for maintaining that spotlight, then so be it. Wolfe Herd may not have said much—but the look in her eyes said plenty.
